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Finding 228 Incident truth best way to remember it: president

ROC Central News Agency

Taipei, Feb. 28 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou pleged Saturday to establish a national memorial museum that would continue to investigate the truth behind the 228 Incident because that would be the best way to commemorate the incident and mark the first step toward achieving social reconciliation.

“Confronting history and discussing the issue, and facing victims' families and putting ourselves in their shoes will greatly help social and ethnic reconciliation, ”Ma said, speaking in Hoklo, at a memorial ceremony held by the Taipei city government's Department of Cultural Affairs and Taipei 228 Memorial Museum.

The 228 Incident refers to an uprising that began on Feb. 28, 1947, and resulted in a brutal crackdown by Kuomintang (KMT) troops in March and April of that year, leading to the deaths of as many as 30,000 people.

Many other innocent people, including many elite members of society, were blacklisted and suffered victimization.

Noting that even though the tragedy occurred before he was born and even before his parents came to Taiwan when the KMT retreated to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war to the Communists, Ma said he felt the responsibility of finding out the truth of the 228 Incident after he entered public service.

“When I was attending the national-level ceremony of the 228 Incident in Kaohsiung earlier today, I was deeply touched by a clergyman who said to me that I don't have the burden of original sin but rather the responsibility to unearth the truth about the 228 Incident,”the president said.

Stressing that the truth will be revealed eventually no matter how many years have passed by, Ma said the memorial foundation of 228 will continue to operate and pledged to establish a national 228 Incident memorial museum to investigate the crackdown.

“Whatever cannot be done, is not dared to be done or is not feasible to be done, I will do it if I have a chance, ”Ma said, reassuring members of the victims' families that the government will shoulder the responsibility of finding the truth.

Speaking at the same occasion, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin noted that the Taipei city government has worked to learn from the past and publicize the truth of the 228 Incident by establishing the memorial park and museum and holding over 40 exhibitions that have attracted over half a million visitors.

He said everybody should learn from the tragic past and turn such a pain into strength so that no one will repeat the same mistake.

“Tolerance, respect and reconciliation are the most important spirit of the 228 Incident and we must put them into practice to seek the greatest happiness for Taiwan,”Hau said. (By Rachel Chan) Enditem/ls